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Software · head to head

FastSpring vs Shopify

FastSpring logo

FastSpring

Software

Merchant-of-record commerce platform for global payments, subscriptions, and tax compliance

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Shopify logo

Shopify

Software

The most trusted ecommerce platform to start, grow, and scale your business

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: FastSpring pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.; Shopify using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus
  • They diverge on capability: FastSpring covers Global online payments, Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FastSpring and Shopify actually diverge.

Attributes where FastSpring and Shopify differ
AttributeFastSpringShopify
Starting priceOn request$29/month
Pricing modeltransactionsubscription
Platformsweb, apiWeb

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2006).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in FastSpring

  • Global online payments
  • Subscription billing
  • Branded checkout
  • Tax compliance
  • Fraud prevention
  • Digital invoicing and quotes

Only in Shopify

  • Hosted ecommerce platform
  • Payment processing
  • Inventory management
  • Order tracking
  • Marketing automation
  • Apps and integrations
  • Multi-channel selling
  • SSL certificate

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

FastSpring

  • Selling software or SaaS internationally without a local tax entitynot Shopify
  • B2B invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise SaaS dealsnot Shopify
  • Recurring subscription billing for digital productsnot Shopify
  • Reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchasesnot Shopify

Shopify

  • Running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilmentnot FastSpring
  • Selling across online, in person and social channels from one cataloguenot FastSpring

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

FastSpring

  • Pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.
  • As a merchant-of-record, FastSpring takes on more control of the checkout and payment relationship than a pure payment gateway like Stripe.
  • Revenue share pricing can become more expensive than flat per-transaction gateway fees at very high volumes.
  • Primarily targeted at software/digital goods sellers, so it is less suited to physical product e-commerce.

Shopify

  • Using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus
  • That fee makes the cheapest plan the most expensive place to use an outside processor, which is the opposite of how plans usually work
  • Card rates also improve with the plan, from 2.9% on Basic to 2.7% on Advanced
  • Amex is charged at a higher rate than other cards on every plan below Plus
  • Plus starts at $2,300 a month
  • The advertised lower monthly prices require paying a year up front

Pricing, plan by plan

FastSpring

On request
  • Custom$undefined/mo
    • All-in-one transaction-based pricing based on sales volume
    • No subscription fees or per-feature charges
    • Discounted rates for ACH and wire transfers

Shopify

$29/month
  • Starter$5/month
    • Buy Button & Sales Channel
    • Abandoned checkout recovery
    • Basic reporting
  • Basic$29/month
    • Online store
    • Up to 2 staff accounts
    • Basic reports
  • Standard$79/month
    • Professional reports
    • Gift cards
    • Up to 15 staff accounts

Which should you pick?

Choose FastSpring if

  • You need global online payments.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want subscription billing.
FastSpring review

Choose Shopify if

  • You need hosted ecommerce platform.
  • You also want payment processing.
Shopify review

Questions people ask

Is FastSpring or Shopify better?
Neither clearly leads. FastSpring starts at On request and Shopify at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FastSpring or Shopify?
FastSpring starts at On request and Shopify at $29/month.
Does FastSpring or Shopify run on more platforms?
FastSpring runs on web, api. Shopify runs on Web.
What is FastSpring best used for?
FastSpring is most often used for selling software or saas internationally without a local tax entity, b2b invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise saas deals, recurring subscription billing for digital products, reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchases. Of those, selling software or saas internationally without a local tax entity and b2b invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise saas deals are not what Shopify is typically brought in for.
What can FastSpring do that Shopify cannot?
FastSpring covers Global online payments, Subscription billing, Branded checkout, Tax compliance. Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform, Payment processing, Inventory management, Order tracking.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

FastSpring: What does FastSpring cost?

FastSpring uses flat-rate, all-in-one pricing based on transaction volume, with fees withheld from payouts. There is no minimum volume or subscription fee, and pricing is typically quoted based on expected sales volume after contacting their sales team.

Source
FastSpring: Is there a free plan?

FastSpring does not offer a free plan; instead pricing is transaction-based with no upfront subscription cost, and merchants only pay a commission on completed sales.

Source
FastSpring: What does FastSpring integrate with or include compared to a payment gateway like Stripe?

FastSpring bundles international payments, subscription management, tax compliance, fraud prevention, reporting, and B2B invoicing into one price, whereas gateways like Stripe charge separately for many of these features.

Source
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